Blog

Mar 30, 2011

Friday sees the start of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. I'm looking forward to it, and seeing what I can come up with.

In the mean time I'm juggling my upcoming tasks.

My wife is almost into her last trimester, so there are all kinds of life-changing thoughts running through my head. I hope we make good parents.

Aside from that I also need to knuckle down and get some more work done, writing-wise. Regarding Locked Within, I'm developing ideas for a book trailer that I can post to my Youtube account and spread around if/when the time comes.

I'm trying to decide whether it's best to push on with the series and start book 2 now, so that it's ready for whenever it may be needed, or if I should carry on with my secondary project set in a London where magic is known and commonplace.

Of course, I could just throw caution to the wind and work on both. Yeah, that's a quick way to madness, I'm sure. Still though. Very tempting. I tend to get hooked on the buzz from writing a story. Once I do, most things I do will be somehow connected to the story. The music I listen to on my iPod will be music that inspires me for that story. I'll watch movies of the same genre or style. I'll spend hours researching possible locations, characters and story hooks on the internet. It's the best drug ever.

Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.

Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.

Mar 21, 2011

A little while ago I entered by first novel, Locked Within, into a contest being held by WiDo Publishing. The prize is to be considered for a publishing contract. Of three finalists, any or all may be offered a contract.

Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.

Mar 16, 2011

I've linked to this on my Facebook account, but figured I should re-post it here is well.

Writers for Japan is an auction where a number of authors are auctioning away things like manuscript critiques, signed copies of books, and having characters named after you in a new book. It's an awesome idea, and all for a good cause.

Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.

Mar 14, 2011

I've often been accused of being quite cruel to my characters, most notably while writing Locked Within. It's fair; I do tend to put my heroes trough some real baptisms by fire. I like seeing the hero triumph through supreme adversity, getting their backs to the wall with no easy way out and so much to lose if they fail.

But as a reader I've also had more than one occassion where I feel like I want to scream at the author for putting my beloved heroes through hardship. I think all of us who love reading have a tendency to adopt characters as part of themselves to some degree or another.

What this brings me to wonder is, how many of us have felt like an author was treating one of their characters unfairly? Did the hero just miss out on his chance to be with the woman he loves? Did a side character get blamed for something that wasn't their fault? Did you ever feel that a particular villain should have been defeated by a different character than the hero?

And how easy is it for us to accept that bad things happen to good characters when we've invested so much emotional energy into their journey?

Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.

Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.